Michael Hicks Beach, 2nd Earl St Aldwyn

Michael John Hicks Beach, 2nd Earl St Aldwyn GBE GCStJ TD PC DL (9 October 1912 – 29 January 1992) was a British Conservative politician. He achieved the distinction of serving in the governments of five different prime ministers.

The Right Honourable The Earl St Aldwyn GBE GCStJ TD PC DL
Lord St Aldwyn in 1932
Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
In office 24 June 1970 – 11 March 1974
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	The Lord Beswick
Succeeded by	The Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe
In office 27 June 1957 – 21 October 1964
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home
Preceded by	The Earl Fortescue
Succeeded by	The Lord Shepherd
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
In office 18 October 1954 – 18 January 1957
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	The Lord Carrington
Succeeded by	Joseph Godber
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 9 October 1933 – 29 January 1992 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	The 1st Earl St Aldwyn
Succeeded by	The 3rd Earl St Aldwyn
Personal details
Born	(1912-10-09)9 October 1912 Sudeley, England
Died	29 January 1992(1992-01-29) (aged 79) Coln St. Aldwyns, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Diana Mills ​ (m. 1948)​

Background and education

St Aldwyn was born at Sudeley Castle in 1912, the only son of Michael Hicks Beach, Viscount Quenington, and the grandson of Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn.^[1] His mother was Marjorie Brocklehurst was the daughter of Henry Dent Brocklehurst. Across March and April 1916, both his parents and his grandfather died in rapid succession: his mother died on 4 March, his father was killed in action on 23 April, and his grandfather died on 30 April.^[1] He succeeded his grandfather in the earldom, aged only three.^[1] St Aldwyn was educated at Eton and later fought in the Second World War as a Major in the 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.^[1]

Political career

In 1954 St Aldwyn was appointed Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Conservative administration of Winston Churchill, a post he also held under Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan (the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1955).^[1]

In 1958 Macmillan promoted him to Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (chief government whip in the House of Lords).^[1] He retained this post also under Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1964. After the Conservatives lost power in 1964 he served as Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Lords from 1964 to 1970. When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970 under Edward Heath, St Aldwyn was again appointed Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, which he remained until the government fell in 1974.^[1]

Between 1974 and 1977 he was again Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Lords.^[1] Apart from his political career he was also a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire from 1981 to 1987.

Honours

• 5 December 1978: Bailiff Grand Cross (GCStJ) of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.^[2]
  • 11 January 1966: Knight (KStJ) of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.^[3]
    • 1 January 1952: Officer (OStJ) of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.^[4]
• 31 December 1979: Knight Grand Cross (GBE) of the Order of the British Empire.^[5]
  • 1 December 1964: Knight Commander (KBE) of the Order of the British Empire.^[6]

Marriage and children

Lord St Aldwyn married Diana Mary Christian Mills, daughter of Henry Christian George Mills, on 26 June 1948. They had three sons:^[7]

• Michael Henry Hicks-Beach, 3rd Earl St Aldwyn (born 7 February 1950).
• Hon Peter Hugh Hicks-Beach (born 31 May 1952).
• Hon David Seymour Hicks-Beach (born 25 May 1955).

On 29 January 1992, Lord St Aldwyn died at his home in Coln St. Aldwyns from heart disease and colorectal cancer. He was succeeded by his eldest son Michael.^[1]

References

1. Garnett, Mark (2004). "Beach, Michael John Hicks-, second Earl St Aldwyn (1912–1992), politician". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51309. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. "THE MOST VENERABLE ORDER OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM". The London Gazette (47705): 14602. 5 December 1978.
3. "THE GRAND PRIORY IN THE BRITISH REALM OF THE MOST VENERABLE ORDER OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM". The London Gazette (43871): 331. 11 January 1966.
4. "No. 39433". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1952. p. 138.
5. "No. 48059". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1980. p. 289.
6. "No. 43502". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 November 1964. p. 10228.
7. The Peerage, entry for 2nd Earl St Aldwyn

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages ^{[self-published source] [better source needed]}

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl St Aldwyn

Political offices
Preceded by The Earl Fortescue	Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 1957–1964	Succeeded by The Lord Shepherd
Preceded by The Lord Beswick	Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 1970–1974	Succeeded by The Baroness Llewelyn-Davies
Party political offices
Preceded by The Earl Fortescue	Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords 1957–1978	Succeeded by The Lord Denham
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Michael Hicks Beach	Earl St Aldwyn 1916–1992	Succeeded by Michael Hicks Beach